VARIETIES OF CHEESE: DESCRIPTIONS AND ANALYSES. 53 



where for the most part the cheese is made. It is made almost exclusively 

 on isolated farms rather than in cooperative dairies, and the methods used 

 are somewhat rudimentary. 



The milk, which is usually partly skimmed, is set with rennet at a tempera- 

 ture of about 85° F. The curd is cut and stirred after about one and a half 

 hours. After it has settled the whey is poured off. The stirring and draining 

 are repeated several times until the curd is sufficiently firm to put into hoops. 

 Moderate pressure is applied for a few hours. The cheese is salted at the end 

 of 24 hours, and thereafter daily for several days. It is then transferred to the 

 first curing room, which is kept cool and moist. After three or four weeks it 

 has become covered with blue mold, when it is transferred to cellars or natural 

 caves, where the ripening is completed in from three to four weeks longer. 



SERRA DA ESTRELLA. 



This is the most highly prized of the several kinds of cheeses made in 

 Portugal. The name refers to the mountainous region in which the cheese is 

 produced. For the most part it is made from the milk of sheep, but goats' milk 

 is often added, or even used alone, and occasionally cows' milk is used. 



The method of making this cheese is comparatively simple. The milk is 

 warmed in a kettle with little regard to the temperature obtained, and in most 

 cases is coagulated by means of an extract of the flowers of a kind of thistle. 

 The time required for curdling varies from two to six hours, depending upon 

 the quantity of the extract used. The curd is broken up with a ladle or by 

 hand, squeezed to remove most of the whey, and put into circular forms. After 

 draining until sufficiently firm, the cheeses are removed from the hoops and 

 allowed to ripen for several weeks, during which time they are frequently 

 washed with whey and salted on the surface. The cheeses vary much in size, 

 the larger measuring about 10 inches in diameter and 2 inches thick, and 

 weighing about 5 pounds. The cheese is rather soft and has a pleasant, acid 

 taste. 



A similar cheese, made in another part of Portugal, is known as Castello 

 Branco. 



SERVIAN. 



In making Servian cheese the milk is warmed in a kettle over a fire or in a 

 tub by immersing heated stones. After the rennet is added the milk is allowed 

 to stand one hour, when the curd is lifted in a cloth and the whey allowed to 

 drain. It is then placed in a wooden vessel, salted, and covered successively 

 with whey for about eight days and fresh milk for about six days. 



SILESIAN. 



A cheese known locally as Schlesischer Weichquarg is made from cows' milk, 

 skimmed, the process of manufacture resembling that of Hand cheese. The 

 milk is allowed to coagulate from souring, and the curd is broken up and cooked 

 at 100° F. for a short period. The curd is then put into a cloth sack and light 

 pressure applied for 24 hours, after which it is kneaded by hand, and salt and 

 milk or cream are added. Flavoring substances, such as onions or caraway 

 seed, are also sometimes added. The cheese is eaten fresh. 



Another cheese, known as Schlesischer Sauermilchka.se, is also made in much 

 the same way as Hand cheese. The cheeses are kept on shelves covered with 

 straw and are dried by the stove in winter and in a latticework house in sum- 

 mer. Drying is continued until the cheese becomes very hard. It is ripened in 

 a cellar, the process requiring from three to eight weeks, during which time it 

 is washed with warm water every few days. 



